We made our way to the town, the path winding through towering trees. Despite the calm surroundings, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched. I glanced over my shoulder, but the forest was as still as ever. The crisp morning air carried the scent of damp earth, but even that couldn’t mask the unease crawling up my spine.
“I kind of get the feeling that something is watching us,” Toonka muttered cautiously. He walked beside me, his small hand gripping the strap of his satchel tightly.
I nodded, keeping my steps steady. “I get that vibe to so keep your eyes peeled”
The trees thinned as we approached the village outskirts, revealing a cluster of small houses with thatched roofs. Villagers moved about, their expressions a mix of curiosity and suspicion as they caught sight of us. But before we could take more than a few steps into the village, a figure stepped into our path.
He was tall and lean, with long white hair tied back into a loose ponytail. His green eyes seemed to shimmer with a weird intensity, and a wide grin lit up his face. A cigarette dangled from the corner of his mouth, a thin trail of smoke curling upwards. His clothes were slightly disheveled and had a long coat draped over his shoulders, lined with gold accents that caught the light.
“Ah, newcomers!” he exclaimed, spreading his arms as if welcoming old friends. His voice was brimming with energy. “What a surprise! You''re the people who beat those Karnoks. What brings you here?”
His eyes flicked to me, and for a moment, I felt as though he was peering straight through me. I forced myself to remain calm, studying him just as intently. A tattoo snaked up the side of his neck, disappearing under the collar of his shirt. It felt significant somehow but I couldn’t tell why.
“And who are you?” Toonka snarled at the man as he went and hid behind me.
“Oh, sorry! Got carried away—everyone’s talking about you two.” He laughed ruffling Toonkas hair.
“My name''s Kael, nice meeting ya” He said grinning from ear to ear.
This man is way too energetic, it feels like it would be tiring to simply be in the same presence as him.
But the way he’s acting feels iffy but I can’t put my finger on what it is but something about him feels off.
“So what are your names?” He asks casually.
“My names Ji-won and the br- kid who’s behind me name is Toonka,” I said, gesturing to Toonka.
Kael''s eyes glinted with something unreadable as he looked between us. "Ji-won and Toonka, huh? A pleasure." He took another drag from his cigarette, the ember flaring briefly in the dim light of the village''s outskirts before he exhaled a cloud of smoke. "You guys are just two kids but you do pretty reckless things."
“Thanks for that, so do you need something?” I ask candidly.
“I’ll show you around, you never got a full tour of this place right?” He said in a lighthearted voice.
It was an enticing offer considering I never fully explored the town and I needed to get a weapon but had no idea where to look and however suspicious this man is he could provide some good intel.
“Sure we’ll take you up on that offer” I smirk.
Toonka looked at me in shock, his eyes telling me ‘You''re seriously going to follow this suspicious man we’ve only just met and think we’ll be just fine!’
I ignore it. Let''s not worry about the consequences just yet.
“So are there any good places that sell weapons” I ask plainly.
He started walking, gesturing for us to follow. “Come on, I’ll take you there. You’ll want to get geared up if you’re planning to stick around long.”
I glanced at Toonka, who was still glaring at Kael. The villagers continued to eye us curiously.
“Hey, which one is the detective?” a person whispers.
“It''s the one with the black hair and yellow eyes. He looks pretty unremarkable at first glance” another person said, gesturing to me slightly.
I chose not to take offense to that. I never increased my charm but it might prove useful in the future.
Kael didn’t seem to care about the attention we were drawing. If anything, he looked like he was enjoying himself.
“I am,” I said simply. “I’m a detective.
Kael chuckled. “Fair enough. This town isn’t much since it doesn’t have a ruler so it owns it. It''s a free land unlike most towns, so it’s got its quirks. You might find what you’re looking for—or you might find more questions. That’s how it goes around here.”
We walked in silence for a few moments before he stopped in front of a modest-looking building with a weathered wooden sign hanging above the door. The sign bore the image of a sword crossed with a hammer. The faint sound of metal striking metal echoed from within.
“Here we are,” Kael announced with a flourish. “Best weapon shop in the village. Well, the only weapon shop, but that just makes it special, doesn’t it?”
He pushed the door open, revealing a compact but well-organized space. Weapons of various shapes and sizes lined the walls, from swords and daggers to bows and spears, not to mention the place smelled of oil and grease.
A heavyset man with a thick beard stood behind a counter, polishing the blade of a short sword.
The man simply glanced at us and went back to polishing his sword “Hey Kael, why''d you bring two brats here?” He grumbled.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
“You''re so cold to your customers Garrick” Kael laughed.
“You''re no customer of mine” Garrick snorts.
Since I had no part of their conversation I look around at all the weapons in the shop.
“Hey what weapon do you think would suit you?” I ask turning to Toonka.
His hands land on the twin daggers he grabs it and tests their weight.
“I want this,” He decides, throwing and catching them around easily like they were made for him.
“It suits you surprisingly well” I nod approvingly and look around the shop to choose a weapon that would suit me.
I don’t have to use something that''s powerful since I don’t plan on fighting. I''d rather it not be too heavy and not focus on killing rather than immobilizing. I''m no serial killer after all.
I look around and my eyes fall on a specific weapon.
“Excuse me, I''ll take this” I called out while picking up the weapon.
Toonka tilts his head looking at it with a curious expression “What kind of weapon is that supposed to be?”
Kael studies the weapon intently. “Are you sure you want that it doesn’t seem that easy to use”
I nod “I like this one the best” I say plainly.
Garrick glances at the weapon and gapes.
Startlingly he starts laughing heartily like this was the funniest thing that he ever noticed. “You want that weapon, you''re an interesting kid, you know that” He said his attitude completely changed from before.
“Sure, go ahead and take it so what did the other kid want?” He asks as if he’s suddenly in a good mood.
Toonka looked taken aback by his demeanor change and looked at me like I had an answer.
I just shrug. I had no clue why he started acting so drastically different after seeing my weapon.
After some back and forth Garrick wrapped the twin daggers in a leather sheath and handed them to Toonka, who accepted them cautiously. Kael, meanwhile, leaned against the counter carefree as ever.
"You’re a weird kid," Garrick said, handing over the weapon I''d picked. "I made that thing on a whim. I didn''t think anyone would actually want it but I still kept my hopes up good luck with it kid."
I examined the weapon in my hand. It was an unusual choice — A chained flail blade I read about in an article on a whim since it looked cool. It felt lightweight but sturdy. I held the wooden handle with the chain showing a curved blade at the end.
It would probably be hard to learn but I’ll learn how to use it eventually.
The reason I chose it was simple: it wasn''t designed for killing, rather it was to immobilize someone from moving. Like I could put the chain around a person''s body to keep them from moving.
When I looked around I only saw weapons that could injure people instead of capturing them so it must be pretty rare to find this kind of weapon since there was only one.
“So how much for them” I ask nonchalantly.
“25 silver coins all together”
I guess that means we’ll be left with 5 silvers. I sigh and put the money on the counter.
“Good luck, kids,” Garrick said gruffly, though the faintest hint of a smile lingered beneath his beard. “Hope you don’t end up needing those weapons too soon.”
Kael stretched lazily, pushing off the counter with a yawn. “Now that you’re all set, how about we grab a bite? There’s a great little place not far from here. I’ll treat you!”
Toonka, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke up. “Why would you treat us? What’s your angle?”
Kael laughed, ruffling Toonka’s hair again. “You’re sharp, kid. No angle, I promise. Just being hospitable. Consider it a welcome to our quirky little village.”
I wasn’t convinced, but food sounds good, and if Kael wanted to play the generous guide, I’d let him—for now. “Thanks for your hospitality then,” I said, motioning for Toonka to follow. “Lead the way.”
As we stepped out of the shop, the sun had climbed higher, casting warm golden light over the village. The air felt less tense now, though I couldn’t fully shake the unease Kael stirred within me. He seemed too casual, too eager to help. People with no ulterior motives didn’t bother to act like that.
“By the way,” Kael said as we walked through the bustling streets, “word travels fast around here. You might want to watch your backs. The Karnoks you took down? They weren’t just random monsters. Someone or something might not be happy you dealt with them.”
“Here we are!” Kael said, clapping his hands together. “Best skewers in the village. Go ahead and pick what you like.”
I stepped forward to examine the food on display. Toonka’s constant glaring at Kael wasn’t exactly helping me though.
“Hey, Toonka,” I said, turning to him. “I need you to do something for me.”
He blinked, startled. “What?”
I gestured toward a nearby fountain where townspeople were gathered. “Go ask around and see if anyone’s heard of anything unusual happening recently. Maybe something suspicious will land us a case.”
Toonka frowned, his suspicion clear. “Why can’t you do it?”
“I need to talk to Kael,” I replied smoothly.
He hesitated, his gaze shifting between me and Kael. Finally, he sighed. “Fine. But don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”
“Don’t worry about me,” I said, offering a small smile. “Just stay alert.”
Toonka gave Kael one last suspicious glance before heading off toward the fountain. Once he was out of earshot, I turned back to Kael, who was watching me.
“Smart move,” Kael said, grinning as he leaned against the stand. “The kid’s sharp, but I get the feeling he doesn’t trust me.”
“You know I felt as if there was something off about you. I finally figured it out.”
“Oho and what exactly is that?” He asks with amusement.
“You’re smile” I reply frankly “It''s like you use it as a mask not as an expression.”
Kael''s grin faltered for a split second, though he quickly recovered, his eyes glinting with something unreadable. He took a long drag from his cigarette, the smoke curling up around him like a veil.
“A mask, huh?” he repeated, the amusement in his voice not quite reaching his eyes. “You’re perceptive. I’ll give you that.”
He pushed off from the stand, taking a step closer. “But you’re wrong about one thing, Ji-won. The smile isn’t a mask. It’s just the way I prefer to handle things. People find it… comforting, you know? Easier to deal with someone who seems harmless than someone who seems dangerous.”
“I don’t know if it''s comforting, it seems more creepy in my opinion” I say curtly.
He blinked as though my reaction wasn’t what he accounted for and started laughing ruffling my hair.
It felt weird to have my hair be ruffled like that since I was actually 40 on the inside.
“Creepy, huh?” Kael repeated, still chuckling. “Guess I’ll have to work on that. But I can’t exactly please everyone, can I?”
“Guess not” I shrug nonchalantly.
Toonka suddenly appeared around the corner, his eyes wide and his breath short. He looked a little out of breath, but there was a noticeable excitement—mixed with a hint of panic—in his expression.
“Ji-won! We’ve got a case!” he said, voice rushing out as he hurried over to us. He almost stumbled in his haste, but caught himself just in time.
I raised an eyebrow, giving him my full attention. “A case? What happened?”
Toonka took a quick breath, his hands slightly shaking as he tried to explain. “I was talking to the villagers, and they said there’s been an murder in an alleyway! Some corpse is there, and people are freaking out. They want someone to figure out what happened, but no one seems to know who did it.”
“Well I guess we have a case to solve” I smirked. This will be my first case in this world so let''s make it count.